A Game of Reparations
by Nevertobeknown
Summary: The rebels have taken the Capitol, and now, as retribution, the children of the Capitol will be forced to fight to the death as a reminder for their parents mistakes.
1. Chapter 1

The explosion rattles the walls of the bunker, as my mother lets a loud shout. "Mother, please be quiet!" I snap through the darkness, and she does so. We listen to the world as bomb after bomb goes off, and somewhere around dawn, a message rings out.

"To the Citizens of the Capitol:"

I jump at the voice of Claudius Templesmith, now either on the side of the rebels, or being forced to speak.

"The City has fallen to the rebels. All citizens will be required to report to the city circle by noon today for housing reassignment and distribution. You have six hours. That is all."

My mother has been squeezing my hand, and now I cannot even feel the limb. She is crying, and has been nearly catatonic since my father was killed in district 2 a few months ago. She hasn't spoke a word, but when she is upset tends to make low guttural moans. At seventeen, I have been in control of her since that time. And now, I will need to remain strong for her, and get her to the circle on time. By the time I dress us both, and get above ground, it is nearly eleven. The streets are packed from side to side with citizens forcing their way to the cities center. We follow the crowd wherever it turns, and eventually, pile into the side streets of the circle. I climb a pipe on the side of a building, and see we are all packed, and that this will be as far as we'll get. I slide into the crowd, and take my mother's hand.

"We're just going to stay here for a while." I say with a smirk, and try to be patient as the doors to the president's mansion, and out steps a woman with long gray hair, and horrible gray eyes. Her face is broadcast on giant screens, which I am now sure is all across Panem. She clears her throat and begins to talk. "My name is Alma Coin, and I have been elected president by the rebels of district thirteen, and I will now be taking over as president of Panem, in place of former President Snow. Begging today at sundown, these new laws will be taking effect. First, unlike the citizens from the districts, you will not be permitted to travel anywhere at this time. Second, All citizens will be granted to new housing to permit the influx of rebel soldiers and guards proper housing. Third, you may, at any time, be granted a guard or soldier to house in these assigned living quarters." She allows this all to sink in, before she begins to speak again.

"And finally, as retribution for the deaths in both the Hunger Games and this war, the capitol will offer up the children of it's highest ranking citizens to participate in a game of reparations. It will follow the ceremony of the original Hunger Games, but will only occur once. That is all."

So, that's how the rebels will make us pay for our birth, our existence. We will be forced to play the games they were forced to play themselves. I can't help but feel sorry for these children, until I realize that my father was one of the richest men in the Capitol. My name will be entered into the reaping. And because of his status, I doubt I will be overlooked.

I am going to have to fight for my life.


	2. Chapter 2

Six days ago, we were instructed to appear at the reaping of the wealthy citizens, and granted a date. This information comes nearly eight months after they announced the Games of Reparation. Now, in our run down home, assigned to us by the new government, I prepare lunch for my mother, out of the small rations they say are necessary to our survival. Stale bread, overly salty fish, and of course, the running water supplied by the tap. I place a sandwich and glass of water in front of her, and leave through the back door. Our new neighbor, Cyril, has offered to watch mother when I am reaped. When I hand her the instructions, what time my mother eats, when she bathes, the old woman's eyes fill with tears. "Flax…" She chokes out, but I just take her hand. She knows now that there is nothing to discuss. Everyone in the capitol knows I'm going into the games, and knows I'm not coming out. I'm about to thank her, when the bells chime the hour, and I must hurry if I'm to make it to the circle by noon. I hug her close, then run on my way.

The square is filled with every child between the ages of twelve and eighteen. There are about five thousand of us, but it's not that simple. Every one of us is granted one entry because of birth, and then another for every perceived crime our parents have committed, another. I was sent a letter two days ago that said in all, I have received fifty three entries. My father, being in charge of all the peacekeeping forces in the country, has racked up quite the record.

They call the reaping to begin, and the only surviving escort from the war, Effie Trinket, steps forward.  
>"Well, won't this be fun?" she says in a highly annoying squeak. Slowly, she begins calling forth names. She first picks twelve girls, among them, Amelia Snow, the old president's granddaughter. Then she turns to the ball with the boys names, and begins.<p>

"Flaxen Hughner." I am third, and make my way quickly to the stage, and am swept inside, to a room off the main stair in the presidents manor. No one comes to say goodbye.


	3. Chapter 3

The president's mansion is spacious, and we remain here for two days before we are transported to the training center. I am taken to district seven's floor, along with a young woman named Tweed. I have no desire to talk to anyone, so I rush quickly to bed. I sleep soundlessly, but awake with a start when I recognize the face glaring at me. I watched the games last summer, and yet she looks nothing like she did. She wears an obvious wig, but one of a natural curls dyed a deep auburn color. She looks emaciated, but still has an air of power to her. I have never met Johanna Mason personally, and certainly had no desire to under the circumstances. She stands up when she realizes I'm awake, and gives a mocking smile. "I'm going to be your mentor." She blurts out, before chuckling wickedly. So they've kept this measure of security. She begins to speak again, "I'm here to-." "I know why you're here. You are here to give me advice, and then, during, to manage my sponsors." Her smiles grows wider, making her look like the clown doll that my mother used to keep on the mantle. "You won't be getting sponsors. They've prohibited any form of sponsorship. This isn't a game. It's a punishment." She lets her message sink in, and then begins to walk towards the door. "Get dressed. You have training in an hour."

I wait until I'm sure she's gone, then strip down and run to the shower. I press the button that emits musky smelling oils with the water, and bathe myself for the first time in weeks. I rub my skin raw, then dry off and return to my room. I find a training uniform, with a "C" embroidered on each shoulder. I dress and walk out of my room, head first into Tweed. She brushes herself off nervously, and begins to walk to the elevator, making sure I follow.

It takes less than a second to descend into the underground training center, and when we exit the elevator, we are among the only tributes to have arrived. I stand alone in a corner, when I hear a voice I didn't realize I'd missed.

"Flax!" He shouts, and runs forward, nearly taking me out. Finlay has been my best friend since I can remember, and, being the son of the liaison to district 1, I am not shocked to see him here. We embrace, and I realize that so much has changed. He is tall, as always, but has lost quite a bit of weight. His once spring green hair has been died deep black, and he no longer wears contacts that turn his eyes to stars. He looks like a lost puppy. I open my mouth to speak, but Atala, cuts me off.

"Welcome tributes. I have here the list of training stations for you to prepare with. But first, some advice. Do not engage in combat with any of the other tributes, for any reason. Also, do not ignore the survival skills. They can mean the difference between death from a sword and death from dehydration. Now, of to work."

We scatter.

Finlay and I stay together almost the entire time, and we take Atala's advice. We study fire starting, and I excel at using a flint instead of matches. I spend a lot of time at the edible plant station, while Finlay learns how to throw a spear. He is horribly talented. I take the time to practice knife throwing, and within two days, the instructor informs me that I am a natural and am ready for more advance techniques. We are granted eight days of training as they prepare the arena.

On the eighth day, we are told that we will be presenting for the gamemakers. All the girls will go first, then the boys in order of their reaping. Around four, I am called down, and I collect the multitude of throwing knives, and begin my performance. By the time I am done, I have stabbed nearly every target in the room, and they dismiss me. I return upstairs, and wait for Johanna to come tell me my score. Since there are no sponsors, the tributes mentors are the only ones told the scores, other than the tributes themselves. I am wrapped in a silk robe on the couch in a large great room when she walks in.

"Nine." She says, somewhat approvingly. A nine is not bad, especially in this rag tag group.  
>"Good. So now I just need to prepare for my interview." Johanna chuckles loudly.<p>

"I guess no one's told you. There are no interviews. They were just for the sponsors. Tomorrow, you go to the arena."

My throat hits my stomach as I vomit all over the couch.


	4. Chapter 4

When I open my eyes, Johanna is sitting next to me, and in the pitch black I can just make out her eyes. And she's crying. She has her hands wrapped around mine, and when I sit up, she stands and pushes me back to the bed. "Don't talk. Just listen." So I recoil a bit, ready for her anger to overtake her. For a moment I suppose my death is better this way, I won't die at the hands of one of my friends, and it will be fast enough. So I lean back and let her begin.

"I wanted to tell you, that…well, you see, I don't usually….I'm sorry." And suddenly, I allow every emotion that has been bottled up since I came to this horrible place out, and I realize very quickly that I won't be able to stop them. Johanna senses this, and just wraps her arms around me.

"You've been through so much at the hands of my Father and his friends. I owe you an apology too."

She recoils from the hug, and gives me a disgusted look.

"You see, that's exactly what I mean. It's not your fault they did horrible things. It was theirs. And I'm making you pay for it. We all are. The surviving victors voted for this to happen."

I'm not even remotely shocked by this. I know that if I survive this, I will most likely have a lot of displaced anger as well. But the fact that Johanna is disturbed by this helps me to realize that she's human, and I think she needed my emotion to realize that the children of the Capitol are too. She seems to notice how deep in thought I am, because she doesn't say anything, just stands up and orders tons of food from the kitchen. When it arrives, we invite Tweed to come join us and she doesn't waste a second. We haven't spoken much, but we spend the rest of the night and part of the morning eating and enjoying ourselves.

Around six, we are summoned to the roof. Johanna looses it again, and our goodbyes are said in our apartments. On the hover craft, neither of us say anything but when I turn my eyes toward the city, I can see the large televisions set up in the city circle. As I expected, they will force the Capitol citizens to watch. It seems only fair. It takes nearly forty minutes to get to the arena, when we are separated and forced down tubes to our own launch rooms. It is cold stone, and on a hanger next to the launch tube. There is no food, but a pitcher of water sits next to a decrepit old couch. I put on the thin jacket, form fitting pants and soft leather shoes, and sit down. Honestly, the outfit holds no indication of what I'm in for. I sit for another hour, sipping a glass of water, and doing my best to keep from vomiting.

Then, a voice rings out through the center, informing us that we will be launching in thirty seconds. Two rebel soldiers enter to ensure I am in when the launch begins. For a moment, the light of the room fills the tube, then I am submerged in darkness. And it doesn't end. And then, I hear the voice of someone I know all too well. Katniss Everdeen announces that the games will begin in sixty seconds.

We stand in utter darkness until the gong rings out. None of us can comprehend what happens then. Suddenly, the sun is shining, and we are shocked by what we see around us.

The arena is an exact copy of the Capitol.


	5. Chapter 5

I come to my senses a half a second before just about everyone else. I rush toward the cornucopia and collect every knife I can find. A giant boy, who stand a whole foot taller than me, and weighs twice what I weigh, rushes forward, and before I can think, he's got a knife in his chest. I pull it out, and find a piece of an organ attached. I decide to drop it. The other tributes are here by now, so I find every knife I missed, and grab the nearest bag. I run down the city street, to find my old house. I walk for what feels like miles before I get there, and I swiftly enter, and lock every door and window. The apartment isn't spacious, but its home, and in this situation, it's nice to have a familiar place. Deconstructing some of the cabinets, I board the windows as best I can, using tacks and other things found around. They have missed no detail, and it's hard to miss the hand of the gamemakers. This place is designed to get into my head, to trick me into thinking I'm safe. Fat chance.

I explore the closets and find them stocked with clothes, so I pull a few cloaks and then go through my bag. I find a bottle of water, an apple, and a can of chicken stew. I put that away for later, and slice the apple with a survival knife. I eat half, and then tuck the rest away in a torn piece of cloth. I wander aimlessly for another hour, before deciding I should try the shower. I push open the bathroom door, and press the panel on the wall. I should know right away that something is wrong when the buzzing begins. It isn't loud, like a plane, but it's hidden somewhere beneath the silence I find deafening. When I finally look to the actual shower itself, I come unhinged. I barely have enough to scream before the mutt is on me, ripping my flesh.

I come to covered in bile. Finlay is sitting next to me, picking at a bag of grapes.

"When I came in," he says, between chews, "You were rolling on the floor tearing at your eyes. It was all I could do to stop you from ripping them out." He pops another grape in his mouth and I feel my stomach crawl. "There is no water in any building here, except the president's mansion. What you got was a gas of some sort." It all seemed so real, but I reach up to find the cuts under my eyes match the shape of my nails. Fin offers me a grape, but I turn him down. "I guess we're allies?" As if I ever wondered. Without hesitation, we both get up and go to the master suite, and I lay down, and am off before I even hit the pillow.

When the sun sets, we both watch it from the roof of the building. We look at the president's mansion, standing high above the city. We know this has to be our target, and we develop our plan with extreme care. We dismount the building, bringing every piece of food we could find in the home. Dozens of canned food now fills our bags, and chicken stew with rice fills our stomachs. The moon hovers nearly dead center of the sky by the time we are halfway there, but we find it hard to ignore a loud shaking.

Very suddenly, the sky goes blue, but it's a bright, unnatural color. The ground, the buildings, all become a grid, and slowly begin to pixelate, and both Fin and I lose our footing. Then, the world around us becomes a shapeless mass, before falling away to reveal something we have never seen before. But, from the factories surrounding us, and the fancy fabrics, diamonds and velvet curtains, I know.

I immediately recognize District 1.


End file.
